Movie review: Drag Me To Hell’ delivers scary fun

Al Alexander

Friday

May 29, 2009 at 12:01 AMMay 29, 2009 at 1:46 AM

The story is silly and preposterous in true B-movie fashion. But director Sam Raimi executes it masterfully by finding the perfect balance of ick and yuks to create a scary, cinematic carnival ride, complete with a savagely satirical subtext in which the people responsible for trashing the world’s economy get a strong dose of comeuppance.

Having spent most of the past decade entangled in Spider-Man’s web, Sam Raimi breaks free with a vengeance in “Drag Me to Hell,” a tongue-in-cheek scarefest that transports the acclaimed director back to his cheeky “Evil Dead” roots.

Along with his equally sick-minded brother, Ivan, Raimi has created an imaginative house of hilarious horrors involving gypsies, bankers, soothsayers and a talking goat. But it’s the little things – the phlegm dribbling from an old woman’s lips, the mouths full of grubs and embalming fluid – that will have audiences joining in a communal scream.

It’s gross for gross’ sake. But Raimi somewhat justifies it by giving “Drag Me to Hell” a savagely satirical subtext in which the people responsible for trashing the world’s economy get a strong dose of comeuppance.

It’s cathartic, too. But what makes it ingenious is that Raimi doesn’t use the typical bow-tied bum-kisser to unleash his fury on. Instead he chooses a babe in the woods. And, as played by the lovely Alison Lohman, she’s some babe.

Those good looks, though, are subjected to some pretty bad things after Lohman’s sweet and perky L.A. loan officer Christine Brown goes against her instincts and refuses to grant a third extension on an old woman’s overdue mortgage.

The woman (terrific newcomer Lorna Raver), a gypsy well-versed in the dark arts, retaliates by first physically attacking Christine in her car, a fight that ends with granny taking a staple to the eye and a blow to the jaw that sends her rotting dentures flying. But Raver’s Mrs. Ganush doesn’t accept defeat lightly, and resorts to her last defense: casting an evil spell.

It’s called the Curse of the Lamia, named for the child-murdering queen of Greek mythology. And the only way it can be broken is by begging the caster’s forgiveness. Which becomes impossible after Mrs. Ganush conveniently passes away that same night.

Thus, the stage is set for Raimi to bombard Christine with a series of computer-generated indignities (many of them ending with her swallowing something disgusting) as she, her college professor boyfriend (a miscast Justin Long) and a stoic clairvoyant (Dileep Rao) rush to find a cure in the 72 hours leading up to her prescribed date with the devil.

Yes, the story is silly and preposterous in true B-movie fashion. But Raimi executes it masterfully by finding the perfect balance of ick and yuks in creating a cinematic carnival ride that’s as scary as it is fun.

Raimi further helps his cause by moving at such a rapid pace there’s no time to zero in on the many lapses in logic and consistency. In other words, it’s fun while it lasts. Afterward, you may well hate yourself for allowing Raimi to jerk you around with his blatant manipulations. But that grin on your face suggests otherwise.

Still, “Drag Me to Hell” wouldn’t work as well as it does without Lohman’s willingness to repeatedly be barfed upon by ghosts, demons and, in one particularly disturbing moment, a dead body.

Through it all, Lohman (“Matchstick Men,” “Big Fish”) manages to maintain dignity by summoning a performance rich in contrasts and nuance.

Her Christine, a former Midwestern porker tuned pork queen, is one of those people who is always seeking approval, whether it’s from her wishy-washy boss (David Paymer), who can’t decide whether to promote her or her glad-handy coworker (a perfectly unctuous Reggie Lee) to assistant bank manager, or her boyfriend’s snooty parents (Chelcie Ross and Molly Cheek), who peer down on homespun girls even if they can whip up a mean harvest cake out of goose eggs.

Christine, of course, isn’t the rube that everyone thinks she is. In fact, she can be rather ignoble, as her kitty is about to find out. Yet, Lohman manages to make her a likeable enough heroine that you’re willing to root for her even at her most despicable.

That’s some feat considering Christine is meant to function primarily as a representation of America’s obsession with money and power – and the nasty things we’re willing to do to get both.

Having grown up in Detroit, the city hardest hit by the current recession, the Raimi brothers no doubt know of what they speak. And, if we care to admit it or not, most of the blame for the massive loss in jobs and income rests at the feet of people like the squeaky clean Christine more than the Gordon Gekkos of the world.

It’s obviously a message the brothers want everyone to get judging by the film’s generous PG-13 rating, a rarity for modern horror films. There might not be blood, other than that squirting from Chistine’s nose, but there are plenty of shocking moments, all of them cut with just enough humor to apparently appease the prudes on the ratings board.

And you, for that matter; as you bask in the fun and excitement generated by what is most assuredly a heavenly “Hell.”